From Numb to New: Let God Meet You in the Silence

We all carry wounds.

Some are deep. 

Some are fresh. 

Some are SO old that we’ve forgotten they’re still bleeding. 

And....whether we realize it or not, we’ve learned how to cope. 

Not by healing though, we cope by numbing.

And in our culture, one of the easiest ways to numb… is noise.  

We don’t mean to do it. We just learn how to keep ourselves distracted...anything to avoid the stillness that might bring the pain too close.

We drown out our aches with the constant hum of something.

Music in the background.
The TV on just for noise.
Scrolling for hours without even realizing it.
Talking to fill every empty space.
Staying busy so we never have to sit still.

But here’s the thing....not all noise is something you can hear.

Sometimes the loudest distractions are the ones that look productive.

• That endless to-do list that keeps you from ever sitting down

• The job that consumes your every day and takes away from priorities

• The hobbies or projects you pour yourself into to avoid feeling empty

• The need to always be doing, fixing, helping, going, achieving

It’s the kind of busyness that earns praise on the outside but leaves you bone-tired on the inside. 

Please don't misunderstand me. I'm not saying that work or activities are wrong.....many are good, even necessary actually. 

But......when they become a way to avoid dealing with what’s really going on inside, they become noise just the same.

We’ve convinced ourselves that silence is uncomfortable. 

That it’s empty. 

That it reminds us of everything we’ve lost, everything we’re afraid of, or everything we can’t fix.

But the real reason

 silence unsettles 

us is because 

it exposes what 

noise helps us hide.

In the quiet, we hear the truth we’ve been avoiding:

• That we’re weary.

• That we’re hurting.

• That we’re angry.

• That we’re lonely.

• That we’re afraid.

And maybe the most uncomfortable of all....that we’re not in control.

So we turn up the volume.

The truth is though, that noise doesn’t heal anything. 

It only delays what needs to be dealt with. It postpones the pain...but it also postpones the healing. The longer we avoid what’s going on inside of us, the longer we stay stuck in a cycle of surface-level living.

God Doesn’t Shout Over the Noise

In all our numbing, we also begin to silence the One voice we most need to hear. God doesn’t force His way through the chaos. He doesn’t compete with our distractions. He whispers.

After the fire came a still small voice. -1 Kings 19:12

It’s in the stillness that God speaks healing over our broken places. 

It’s in the quiet that He gently reveals what needs to be brought into the light. 

It’s when we stop running, stop filling every second with stimulation, and simply.just.BE..... that we TRULY start to hear.

And what we find in that silence isn’t judgment at all.
It’s not shame either.

It’s love.

A quiet, steady, present love that says:
“I know you. I see you. Let Me carry that for you.”

So, ask yourself.... what are you using to numb?

I know this is a tough question, but it's also a very necessary one.
AND it’s one we ALL have to ask from time to time. 

Because numbing doesn’t always look reckless. 

Sometimes, it looks so ordinary. 

Harmless, even.

Ask yourself honestly

Do I turn to scrolling when I’m overwhelmed?
Do I keep the TV or music on constantly just to avoid silence?
Do I over-schedule myself so I don’t have time to think?
Do I fill up prayer time with talking but never take time to listen?
Do I rush from one thing to another so I don’t have to sit with what’s really going on in my heart?

If the answer is yes to any of these...please know that you’re not alone. 

But also know that you don’t have to stay there!

Let's help you get healed!

God’s plan is never just to "stop numbing." 

He invites us to something better.... He wants us to come to Him with what hurts, with what we’ve buried, and let Him do what only He can do.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”        -Matthew 11:28

Real rest! 
No distractions!
No avoidances!
No background noise!

But soul-deep, heart-healing, life-restoring rest.  

Can you imagine that?! It's due time, wouldn't you say? 

But it often starts in silence!  And that's OKAY!  You're SAFE in His arms!

SO.... if you’re brave enough, try turning down the noise.
Even just for a few minutes.

Let the quiet come........not to overwhelm you, but to meet you.

Let God show you what’s under the surface.

Let Him speak the words you’ve needed all along.

Not with fire.

Not with thunder.

But with a still, small voice.